Where is the love?

RIGHT HERE!   Yesterday was Valentine's day and it was such a fun day that I couldn't resist doing a whole post about it. Eventually I'll find time to upload and edit my 350 vacation photos and post them here, too. For now, check out the St Thomas Update post. I fixed the pictures so now you can actually see them.   Gia went to school yesterday morning. I made pink heart-shaped sugar cookies for her little school party. I have an awesome recipe with a secret ingredient that keeps the cookies super soft and makes them taste extra delicious.   (Want the recipe? Go to my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheQuinntessentialMommy like the page and then leave me a message and I'll send it to you.)

I spent an hour decorating them with icing and and M&Ms and forgot to take a picture. And then, on the way home, I put the Tupperware container of leftover cookies on the hood of my car and drove away with them up there. Oops.  I went back later that night and there was no sign of the container or the cookies. I gave up cookies for Lent, so perhaps this was God's way of keeping them out of my house? (Yes, giving up cookies is actually a sacrifice for me. I love love love cookies.)   I also sent little treat bags for Gia's classmates. I included the heart-shaped crayons, a few chocolate kisses (Gia's favorite) and some heart-shaped stickers.     

    Gia and I wore our matching shirts all day, which she got a kick out of. She said, "Mommy, you're the same!"

    At school Gia made Jon and me some Valentines. They are the cutest things ever and I totally teared up just looking at them.       We went out for dinner -- to our favorite Mexican restaurant. We were serenaded by the guitar playing waiter, and Gia loved it.      

      Then we came home and opened presents.   

    We usually just do very small things, but this year Jon let me pick out a special present (or two) from the Gucci store in St. Thomas. The prices were amazing and there was no tax. I saved about 15%. I wasn't allowed to have the stuff till we got home though, so yesterday I was thrilled to get my hands on my new wallet and new iPad case--both GG Shiny Leather in Bordeaux. Gorgeous! I also got an awesome shirt from St Thomas--one that I'd been eyeing all week.

  We got Gia a new cartridge for her Innotab, the movie Tangled and a Tangled cup. She had more fun ripping through the wrapping paper than she did with the actual gifts.      

      I got Jon a Christmas ornament in St. Thomas (we collect them), headphones for the gym (normal ones bc he hates earbuds) and....     I made him a heart shaped collage.  And had it framed.

  He loved it. (I have an Etsy shop --with nothing in it right now-- and plan to sell personalized versions of these in the very near future. Make sure you've like the FB page for updates!)    Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  

Pinterest Test Craft: Heart Crayons for Valentine's Day!

Gia's class is having a little Valentine's Day party and I wanted to make something special for her to give to her classmates. I bought the requisite Disney Princess Valentine's day cards, but that wasn't enough. We are discouraged from sending candy, cookies or cupcakes (which makes sense. Who wants a bunch of 2.5 year olds hopped up on sugar at 9 am?).  So, I started to think about what else I could make.   I remembered that last year a Facebook friend of mine made adorable little crayons in the shape of hearts, so I searched Pinterest for some specifics on how to make them.  I ran into a few snafus along the way (who knew peeling crayons was such a pain the ass?) so below you'll find directions as well as some time-saving tips and tricks.   Here's what you need: 4 boxes of crayons (24 count)  silicone heart shaped "cupcake" mold your oven   Yield: approximately 18 heart crayons 1. Preheat the oven to 250.   2. Lightly grease the mold with cooking spray.   3. Peel all the crayons. If you're having trouble doing this, soak them in water for a few minutes. (I stood them up in a drinking cup.) Once the paper gets wet, it is MUCH easier to peel off.  

  4. Break the crayons up into small pieces and put the pieces in the molds. I did about 4 crayons to a mold. I also put varying colors in each mold so that my crayons turned out multicolored. No need to fill the mold--then the crayons will be too thick anyway. Put the mold on a baking sheet for stability.

  5. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Check on them at the half way point. If they aren't melting uniformly, turn the mold so that the opposite side is now toward the back of the oven. That will help.     6. Once they're melted take them out and cool completely (about 20 minutes). Once they are cool, bend the mold and pop them out. If they are totally cool, and you're gentle, they shouldn't break. (I wasn't too gentle and they still came out very easily.)  

  That's it! Simple and adorable! Pop them in some cute favor bags, or simply attach them to your child's cards and you're done!  

Etsy for Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day and I'm not afraid to admit it.   Yes, it's a "Hallmark Holiday" but it's a day centered around love. What could be better than that? This year I was looking for a cute Valentine shirt for Gia but I wanted something a little different than the ones you find at some of the usual kids stores.  I found these awesome mother-daughter Valentine's Alphabet shirts from Mrs. Meshugga in her Etsy shop and I knew they were perfect.

I've been running to my mailbox ever since I placed our order and today they arrived (in a super cute polka dot package, by the way).    The shirts are super soft and awesome quality.    Gia loved hers and immediately wanted to put it on.   Check out my little model in her I <3 U Alphabet shirt.

Mommy & Me matching shirts!

Check out Mrs. Meshugga's Etsy Shop HERE.  She has adorable stuff --and it's not just shirts!